Great and Powerful
by PrincessOfTheNight93
Summary: *Cover image made by Pinkanon on Deviantart* Trixie has recently found herself haunted by visions of a being made from shadows and darkness. As she tries to fight it and begins to doubt who she really is, Princess Luna takes her under her wing as her own apprentice, but will it be enough to save the young unicorn from the corrupting influence?


Prologue

* * *

The blue unicorn kicked at the ground, tearing it up as, in terror, she ran across the field.

The night was dimly lit by a full moon , but it was blocked out by a gigantic avalanche of black mist that pursued the small pony. Rumbling growls came from whatever creature this was. Desperate, she suddenly turned around to face the mist head-on.

"St-stay back!" she called out, shaken. "The Great an-" Her weak attempt to act brave was cut off by a deep, resounding, cruel chuckle.

"Oh, I know all about you, my dear," an echoey male voice sounded. "The Great and Powerful Trixie. Or, should I say, rather, the Small and Power_less_ Trixie. You never were powerful, you were merely a fraud, a liar, a cheat... a disgrace to all unicorns, really." At this, Trixie's purple eyes flashed with anger.

""You know _nothing_ about me!" she barked, her fear quickly being drowned out by her admittedly large ego.

Again, the shapeless creature laughed. "I know you consider yourself to be mighty, yet you lack the ability to do anything but perform without other's aid. That's your weakness, my dear, isn't it? Your 'talent', the thing that makes you special, that distinguishes you from other ponies... it's not very helpful for a unicorn, is it?" Unwillingly, Trixie felt her eyes drift to her flank where her Cutie Mark was. It was blue, slightly paler than her fur, and formed the shape of a wand and crescent-shaped cape covered in small twinkling stars. "Yes," he continued, as following her gaze, "s_tage_ magic. How unfortunate it must be for you, to realize that the one thing you're good at makes you worth nothing more than a cheap circus act."

Trixie stamped her hoof against the grassy earth, trying to ignore the truth in the mist's words. "I could defeat anypony I wanted to, if the situation called for-" she was cut off by laughter.

"But you can't, can you?" Now the smoke formed two eyes - two blood-red eyes, bordered by green, and a jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth. Trixie was scared of the disturbing sight, but refused to tear her gaze from it. "You will always be outclassed by other unicorns, and you will always boast and beg for attention to hide the truth." At this, Trixie felt her ego take a huge hit, and she suddenly felt much smaller. Her ears laid down against her head, and her eyes fell to the ground. "Yes," the voice continued ruthlessly, "worthless. It's a shame you couldn't be more like a true unicorn, a unicorn like Twilight Sparkle."

At the sound of that name, Trixie looked at the creature again. Twilight, that damn unicorn form Ponyville that had showed her up, not once, but twice. Trixie had been trying to forget about her, to just move on and never think about her again for the rest of her life. Of course, that was before she had become a _princess_. Now, she was everywhere. Twilight Sparkle this, and Twilight Sparkle that. "Don't say that name to me," she hissed.

Another chuckle. "I can see that darkness in your heart that Twilight causes. I feed on that, my dear. I am attracted to creatures like you, to pathetic ponies that seek power, and I can offer you it. You can change your fate, if you will only listen to reason." Before Trixie could answer him, the mist floated to the ground, forming the shape of a large pony.

He was gray, with a horn the same red color as his eyes. A purple smoke flowed from his eyes, and his teeth were as sharp as knives. He wore armor around his neck and legs, and a large red cape, trimmed in white fur, covered his entire back. His mane and tail were jet-black and shapeless, as if made from air. When he took a step toward her, a strange sensation came over the blue unicorn. He was evil; she could feel it. His overwhelming presence frightened her.

"So," he said, "what will it be?"

"Trixie is the greatest pony in Equestria!" she shouted, "and she will not fall victim to evil again!" With that, Trixie bent her head forward, and a burst of sparks flew from her horn, striking the monstrosity standing before her.

He merely shook it off, laughing. "You will come to see that is simply not the case. You are weak, pitiful, and a disgrace to all who wield magic. Someday, you will come to realize that, and when you do, what little morality you have will be replace by your lust for power. Then, I will show you the true power you can posses, O Great and Powerful Trixie." With that, the scene before her vanished, and Trixie woke up in her bed.

Panting, she climbed out of bed and began walking around the room, trying to shake off the feeling of unease that was looming over her head. That nightmare had been recurring for weeks, ever since she'd heard that Twilight had been crowed as princess. She stamped her hoof in angry frustration.

It had been so vivid this night, but what was causing it? She couldn't help but look at her Cutie Mark, and that only made her feel worse, for she knew that the dream had been right - that was something she couldn't deny. Her talent, as much as she tried to hide it, was useless. It doomed her to a life of fraud and fakery. That fact had been haunting her day and night, and she was positive is was manifesting itself in her dreams.

A single tear fell from her purple eye.


End file.
